#neville longbototm x oc

[mytheoristavenue]

Peonies (Neville Longbottom) - Chapter 2

This is the third part to a multipart Neville x OC story.

Summary: Marina meets a very annoying boy named Neville at Flourish and Blott’s.

Arriving at the nearest fireplace to the book store, Marina stepped onto the street, swatting away the excess dust from her sweater. She never liked travelling via the Floo Network, but living so far from the school, it was a necissary evil. Stepping to the side she awaited her father's arrival behind her. Once he too had stepping onto the cobblestone streets, the pair made their way to Flourish and Blotts to find her books for the next year.

Marina rolled her eyes at the at sheer amount of bustle in the store, she never was fond of crowds. Pushing passed anxious parents and eager students, she made her way to the back wall where the clearence table stood. Thankfully, she was able to a find a good percentage of her textbooks at a heavy discount, which lifted a bit of weight off of her shoulders. Checking what she'd found off of her list, and then finding the few full priced books she still needed, she made her way to the clerk's desk to purchase her supplies.

On her way, she stared intently at her list, attempting to determine what all she'd still need, and where she needed to go next. Suddenly, she hit a heavy mass, falling abruptly to her backside. Once she gathered her concentration back, she glared up at the immovable object with puffed cheeks. "Hey, you should watch where you're going!"

Staring back at her was a wide eyed, snaggle toothed boy with shaggy brown hair. He frantically pulled her from the floor by her arm, ensuring her safety. "Oh my gosh, are you alright? I was just standing in line and, well you just ran into me! But, by all means it was my fault-"

"You talk too much, save your breath." Marina huffed, crossing her arms and taking a place in line behind him. "Longbottom, is it?"

The boy frantically nodded, still embarrassed form the encounter. "Neville Longbottom, actually, sorry, I do tend to talk too much."

"You're fine, I appreiciate the concern, but you really should save your breath. There's a lot of people in here, and the doors are closed. The air's getting stale."

Neville smiled gently at her lack of communication skills, finding them a bit charming. "I'm not too worried, we'll be out of here soon. So, what's your name? I don't think I've seen you around school."

"Marina Rafferty. I didn't suppose you had, I actually prefer it that way."

"O-Oh," the boy began, embarrased again. "I can leave you be, if you'd like."

"I don't mind a conversation. I just don't care to keep close friends is all."

"So....What year are you in?" He asked, hoping to shift the tension a bit.

"Fourth, same as you."

"How'd you know that?" He asked, a bit bewildered.

"We've had Potions together since first year." she explained, uninterested.

Neville blushed a bit, feeling slightly guilty for not even noticing her after three years. "Well, since you already know about me, what house are you in?"

"Hufflepuff, unfortunately." Marina replied flatly, punctuating her boredom with a small yawn.

"Why's that so unfortunate? A lot of really great people are in Hufflepuff."

"I had hoped for Ravenclaw. I take my studies very seriously, and to be quite honest, I think I might be the only Hufflepuff that does." She rolled her eyes, stepping up as the line progressed to a shorter length.

"That's not true, Cedric Diggory's in your house and he's a star student." Neville protested, not hoping to argue, but to shfit her opinions of her house, at the very least.

"Cedric Diggory is an air head. He skates by on pretty boy looks, popularity, and athletic prowess."

Neville sighed at Marina's pessimism and turned his attention back to the desk, setting his books down with a heavy thud. During the break in conversation, Marina couldn't help but smile a bit. It had been a good while since another student had taken interest in what she had to say, not that it bothered her, but it was nice to share a moment with someone. As Neville stepped out of the way, giving her room to step to the counter herself, he gave her a lazy wave as he departed.

"Well, Marina, good luck with the rest of your shopping. I've got to go but I'll see you on the train, hopefully?"

"Sure."